Instant AnalysisPenn State 17 ... Ohio State 10By Matthew Zemek
You know, Joe Paterno’s age is still an issue at Penn State.
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What? How can that be, you say?Come on, don’t pretend you didn’t know: Joe Paterno’s age was naturally a big factor in Saturday night’s headknocking, bone-cracking fistfight between Ohio State and Penn State.
Please—this is too obvious: Jim Tressel was just too young, naive and inexperienced to outdo Paterno.See, told you JoePa’s age was an issue.----collegefootball----
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What took place in State College Saturday night—much like the Nittany Lions’ sudden and electrifying resurgence as a college football power—is at once totally surprising and not surprising at all.What’s amazing about Penn State’s return to glory—and by beating the team that slightly outplayed Texas, the Lions proved that they’re a legit top-ten ballclub—is that Paterno’s offense has so much maturity and intelligence this season. Prolific against Northwestern, Michael Robinson merely needed to secure the football Saturday night against the Buckeyes’ awesome defense. ----collegefootball----
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In two decidedly different situations, Robinson and the rest of a talented but youthful offense were able to display two distinct personalities. A few weeks ago in Evanston, clutch playmaking was the order of the day; Saturday in Beaver Stadium against Ohio State, the Lions merely needed to be airtight, and sure enough, they were.What’s not surprising about the newfound Paterno prominence in the college football world is that his blueshirted defense is still dependable. ----collegefootball----
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The Lions won this game in large part because the home team was able to match A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Donte Whitner with Paul Posluszny, Tamba Hali and Alan Zemaitis, who either destroyed Ohio State’s offensive front or shut down the Bucks on the perimeter. Up and down the line, Penn State’s defense proved to be every bit as good as Ohio State’s more celebrated unit. It wasn’t that the Bucks’ defense was deficient; Penn State’s defensive eleven was simply able to see Ohio State’s A(J)-game and raise its own A-game as well.Continuing the theme of “surprise or no surprise,” another startling element of PSU’s re-entry into the college football spotlight is the fact that Robinson—an upperclassman surrounded by a heckuva lot of freshmen—has suddenly ripened into a fully mature player. ----collegefootball----
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Playing alongside Zach Mills in previous seasons, Robinson could never totally find himself... not just as a football player, but as an athlete endowed with the kind of interior belief and mental toughness that are essential for any big-time performer. This year, Robinson has found a way to be a poised, confident leader who can win games either by making huge plays (Northwestern) or avoiding mistakes. ----collegefootball----
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The extent to which the maturity level has changed in Penn State’s offensive huddle is something few could have foreseen going into the 2005 season.On the other hand, what’s not surprising about Penn State’s offense—in terms of its performance Saturday night and for the season as a whole—is that it hasn’t experienced a total transformation from an X-and-O standpoint. This offense won’t be confused with the Kerry Collins/Ki-Jana Carter/Kyle Brady juggernaut of 1994, but a noticeable talent upgrade (think Derrick Williams) has enabled Robinson to be more of a ball distributor who no longer has to force downfield throws or try too hard to make big plays.----collegefootball----
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Robinson was much more of a game manager and field general against Ohio State, freelancing on a few occasions but trusting his running backs, his defense, and a game plan that called for zero turnovers. The patience and team mindset so evident in Robinson’s play did not translate into a huge scoring night for the Lions, but it was all that he and Joe Paterno needed. Given that Penn State was leading by seven and not down by seven for the final 26 minutes of play, Robinson didn’t need to take risks. Practicality trumped boldness, and for good reason. Clean offensive play acquired more value than explosiveness, and 60 turnover-free minutes later, the Lions had their big win. Not too surprising, when you consider everything.----collegefootball----
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The final coexisting pair of surprise and non-surprise comes from the end result of this contest. What’s surprising is not necessarily that Penn State won, especially since Troy Smith’s ball security, the number one key for Ohio State in every game the Buckeyes play, bit Jim Tressel’s team in the backside Saturday night. In a game that was essentially a 10-all stalemate, one huge pick—by PSU’s Calvin Lowry—made the difference... a difference Smith couldn’t erase in a second half filled with three-and-outs from his struggling offense that was physically and mentally whupped by the sharper, more fired up Lions. That Penn State won this contest was not a shock.No, what was surprising was that Troy Smith didn’t commit more turnovers.
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On a night when Ohio State’s offense was poor in every single respect—the line got pushed around, Ted Ginn played tentatively, and Antonio Pittman lacked the authoritativeness he displayed in a recent win against Iowa—one might have thought that an OSU loss would come about not because of impotence, but mistakes... multiple mistakes in a horror show of giveaways that repeatedly set up Penn State scores. But that only happened once, as Penn State got only seven points off Buckeye turnovers. It was shocking to see Penn State’s defense smother Ohio State’s offense so decisively. Perhaps the Lions figured to get an occasional three and out, but the blueshirts made Ohio State and its assemblage of playmakers trudge off the field in three plays with astonishing regularity on Saturday. ----collegefootball----
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The Buckeyes’ offensive talent isn’t good enough to ring up big numbers against each and every Big Ten opponent, and Jim Tressel’s style of play ensures that the Bucks won’t roll up the points each and every Saturday. However, it’s just as true that Ohio State’s offensive talent is not so bad that the Scarlet and Gray should get bageled, and bageled rather easily, over the course of a whole half of football.----collegefootball----
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An offense that had supposedly grown—and which was coming off a bye week, perfect for implementing new wrinkles and exotics against a much-studied opponent—showed surprisingly little game, astonishingly little fight on the road in Beaver Stadium. In a trend that’s becoming all too familiar for Ohio State fans—and even Jim Tressel supporters have to look in the mirror on this one—the Buckeyes have once again lost an early-October road night game in conference play, one that came after a bye week.----collegefootball----
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After “Madison ‘03” and “Evanston ’04,” the Bucks—particularly their offense, came up with another annual display of impotence called “State College ’05.”In the end, you have to go back to Joe Paterno’s age. He was just too gray and treacherous for Jim Tressel to overcome... and after the all-too-youthful and inexperienced coach had a bye week, for cryin’ out loud.Penn State football: it’s back, and back in a big way. The exultation following this huge win over Ohio State is spilling out through a very Happy Valley, but just watch what will happen if Michigan can be conquered next week in the Big House. A win over the Wolverines, and either Tempe or Pasadena could await Paterno in early January.No man is too old for a holiday vacation like that. ----collegefootball----